Google Sites vs Webnode: What’s the Best Builder in 2024?

Google Sites vs Webnode: Final verdict

Google Sites vs Webnode both offer unique advantages, but they cater to different user needs and preferences.

• 
  Google Sites (Overall Grade: 5.6/10)
  
  is ideal for users who prioritize ease of use and seamless integration with Google services. It excels in collaborative features, making it a great choice for team projects, personal portfolios, and small business websites. However, it lacks advanced design customization and ecommerce capabilities, which may limit its appeal for users seeking more robust website functionalities.
• 
  Webnode (Overall Grade: 6.5/10)
  
  offers a more comprehensive set of features, including better design functionalities, ecommerce tools, and marketing capabilities. It is well-suited for beginners and small to medium-sized businesses looking to create professional websites quickly and easily. While it may not integrate as seamlessly with other services as Google Sites, its broader range of templates and customization options make it a more versatile choice for various website needs.

Which one is the best for ecommerce: Google Sites or Webnode?

Verdict

: Google Sites is not designed for ecommerce, while Webnode offers a more robust solution for small to medium-sized online stores.

• 
  Google Sites
  
  : Google Sites is primarily a tool for creating simple websites and lacks built-in ecommerce features. It relies on third-party integrations for any ecommerce functionality, making it less suitable for businesses looking to sell products online. When comparing Google Sites vs Webnode, Google Sites falls short in providing the necessary tools for ecommerce.
• 
  Webnode
  
  : Webnode offers a more comprehensive ecommerce solution with tools for product management, payment processing, and customizable templates. It is a better choice for small to medium-sized online stores, providing a range of features that support online selling effectively.

Which one is the best for informational and business websites?

Verdict

: When it comes to creating informational and business websites, both Google Sites and Webnode offer unique advantages. Google Sites is ideal for users who need seamless integration with Google services and prioritize ease of use, while Webnode excels in design flexibility and customization options.

• 
  Google Sites
  
  : Google Sites is a structured web page-creation tool that is part of the Google Workspace package. It allows users to build websites easily using a drag-and-drop interface, with the added benefit of integrating various Google services like Google Drive, Maps, and Calendar. This makes it particularly useful for team projects, personal portfolios, and small business websites. Scoring 7.2, Google Sites is user-friendly and designed for collaboration, but it may lack the advanced design customization options found in other builders.
• 
  Webnode
  
  : Webnode is a versatile website builder that enables users to create websites without any coding knowledge. It uses a drag-and-drop interface and offers a variety of customizable templates suitable for different purposes, from business and portfolios to restaurants and travel. Webnode also scores 7.2 and provides a good balance of ease of use and design flexibility, making it a strong contender for beginners who want to create a simple yet professional-looking website quickly and easily.

Google Sites vs Webnode: Detailed comparison

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Winner: Webnode.

If you’re looking for a platform that offers more creative control and a wider array of design features, Webnode is the preferred choice.

Google Sites offers a limited number of templates (around 17) suitable for various purposes, from personal blogs to business websites. These templates are designed for user engagement, simplicity, and functionality, allowing for customization to meet specific needs. However, compared to other website builders, Google Sites might offer less variety in templates and design customization options.

Google Sites Themes

Webnode offers a variety of website templates designed for different purposes, from business and portfolios to restaurants and travel. These templates are customizable and responsive, ensuring they display well on any device. While an exact number isn’t available, Webnode provides a wide selection to cater to diverse website needs.

Webnode Themes

🏆 Winner: Google Sites

. Scoring 8.3, Google Sites offers a user-friendly interface with drag-and-drop functionality, making it easy for users to create and publish websites without coding knowledge. Its seamless integration with other Google services enhances its utility, especially for those familiar with the Google ecosystem. Webnode, with a score of 8.0, also provides a straightforward and intuitive platform, but Google Sites edges out slightly in terms of overall ease of use.

Learning Resources

🏆 Winner: Google Sites

. Google Sites provides a wide array of learning resources, including practical guides for educators and comprehensive digital skill development programs. These resources are well-integrated with other Google services, making it easier for users to learn and adapt. Webnode also offers a variety of learning resources, including official documentation and video tutorials, but Google Sites’ extensive and versatile resources give it the advantage.

Google Sites is not designed for ecommerce and lacks built-in features for setting up an online store. It relies on third-party integrations for any ecommerce functionality, making it less suitable for businesses looking to sell products online. Webnode, on the other hand, offers a more robust ecommerce solution with tools for product management, payment processing, and customizable templates, making it a better choice for small to medium-sized online stores.

Google Sites ecommerce features:

• No built-in ecommerce features

Webnode ecommerce features:

• Shipping options
• Payment gateway integrations
• Order management
• Coupons and discounts

Ecommerce themes & templates

Google Sites does not offer any ecommerce-specific templates. In contrast, Webnode provides ecommerce-specific templates designed for creating online stores. These templates typically come with features such as product showcasing, shopping cart functionality, support for various payment gateways, and customization options. However, users should be mindful of potential limitations such as customization restrictions, feature limitations based on plan tiers, transaction fees, and integration limitations when choosing a template and plan for their ecommerce website on Webnode.

Product page customization

Google Sites lacks any product page customization features, as products can only be listed by embedding third-party platforms. All customization must be done within these external platforms. Webnode, however, provides extensive customization options for product pages, allowing for the creation of visually appealing and informative displays. Features such as customizable content blocks, product images and galleries, tailored product descriptions, customizable call-to-action buttons, product variations, and SEO optimization contribute to a seamless and optimized shopping experience.

Payment processing

Google Sites allows for payment processing through external tools or links, not through native features. This can be done by embedding HTML code for payment buttons from services like PayPal, Square, or Stripe, or by linking to an external checkout page. However, Google Sites doesn’t offer the comprehensive ecommerce capabilities that dedicated platforms provide. Webnode supports various payment gateways, including popular options like PayPal and Stripe, for online transactions. While Webnode itself doesn’t charge commissions on transactions, payment gateways may have their own fee structures. Webnode primarily focuses on facilitating online transactions and doesn’t provide native POS capabilities, although integration with third-party POS solutions may be possible.

Considering the features, availability, cost, and flexibility, Webnode is a more robust and flexible ecommerce solution compared to Google Sites. However, for users who need a simple website with basic ecommerce functionalities, Google Sites with third-party integrations might still be a viable option.

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Winner: Webnode

. Webnode, with a score of 7.3, offers a user-friendly drag-and-drop interface with customizable templates, enabling users to easily create professional-looking websites without coding skills. The editor provides responsive design capabilities, multilingual support, and built-in features such as SEO tools, e-commerce functionality, and analytics integration, making it a comprehensive solution for individuals and businesses to create and manage their online presence efficiently.

Google Sites, scoring 7.0, offers a user-friendly website builder editor that allows users to create and design websites without needing coding knowledge. With its drag-and-drop interface, users can easily add, customize, and arrange elements such as text, images, and videos on their web pages. It also provides a variety of templates and design options to help users get started quickly and ensure their site looks professional. However, its simplicity comes with limitations, such as a lack of advanced design customization options and limited third-party integrations.

Mobile editor/app

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Winner: Webnode

. Both Google Sites and Webnode have limited mobile editing capabilities. Google Sites does not offer a mobile editor app, which means users cannot make on-the-go adjustments to their websites using a mobile device. This can be a significant drawback for users who need to manage their site while away from a desktop.

Webnode, on the other hand, allows users to edit their websites using a mobile browser version of the editor. While this option comes with certain limitations, it still provides more flexibility compared to Google Sites. Users can make basic edits and adjustments to their site layout and content, which can be particularly useful for quick updates or minor changes.

In summary, Webnode receives a higher rating due to its ability to offer some level of mobile editing, even though it is not as robust as a dedicated mobile app. Google Sites, lacking any mobile editing capability, falls short in this aspect.

Overall Result

:

Google Sites wins

. Google Sites scores 6.9, offering a 14-day free trial with the possibility to test some premium features, making it a more flexible option for users wanting to explore the platform’s capabilities. Webnode, with a score of 5.3, provides a free plan with limited features and a 15-day money-back guarantee for paid plans, but lacks a dedicated trial period for premium features.

Google Sites offers more affordable and scalable options, especially for businesses, while Webnode provides a range of plans suitable for different website needs, including ecommerce.

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Winner: Google Sites

Google Sites provides reliable cloud-based managed hosting with a 99.9% uptime guarantee and extensive global data centers, making it a robust choice for hosting. Webnode, while offering flexible hosting plans, lacks transparency in hosting type and data center locations, and has a lower uptime percentage, making it less reliable in comparison.

🏆 Winner: Webnode

Both Google Sites and Webnode offer various strategies for optimizing website speed, but Webnode has a higher overall score in this category.

Google Sites focuses on automated optimization, leveraging Google’s infrastructure to provide CDN, mobile optimization, browser caching, and code minification. Additionally, Google Sites supports AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages) to enhance mobile performance. However, Google does not disclose specific statistics about website Page Speed scores or load times, making it difficult to gauge real-world performance.

Webnode, on the other hand, employs strategies such as code minification, image optimization, and caching to improve website speed. While Webnode does not provide specific information on Core Web Vitals improvements, its approach to speed optimization is more transparent, with load times and PageSpeed scores varying based on the level of optimization applied. This transparency and the higher overall score make Webnode the winner in this comparison.

🏆 Winner: Webnode.

Webnode scores 6.8, slightly ahead of Google Sites, which scores 6.4. Webnode’s edge comes from its extensive range of plugins provided by Elfsight, covering social media, e-commerce, chats, and forms, which offer both free and premium options. Google Sites also offers a variety of plugins through Elfsight and Common Ninja, enhancing functionalities like social media feeds, reviews, and e-commerce elements. However, Webnode’s broader range of advanced options for SEO, security, and user engagement gives it a slight advantage.

It is worth noting that both platforms provide easy-to-use, customizable widgets that require no coding knowledge, ensuring that users can significantly enhance their websites without technical difficulties.

Google Sites Applications

Webnode Applications

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Overall Winner: Webnode

. Webnode offers a more comprehensive set of marketing tools, including email marketing, blogging, and advanced social media integration, making it a better choice for users looking to actively promote their websites. Google Sites, while easy to use and integrated with Google services, lacks many of these essential marketing features.

🏆 Winner: Google Sites

. In the Google Sites vs Webnode comparison, Google Sites takes the lead with a customer support score of 7.2, compared to Webnode’s 5.3. Google Sites offers a robust support system primarily through self-service resources like a Help Center and community forums. For Google Workspace customers, direct support options such as phone, email, and live chat are available, with 24/7 support for critical issues depending on the subscription tier. This makes Google Sites a reliable choice for users needing consistent and accessible support.

Webnode, on the other hand, provides customer support in over 20 languages, available five days a week. The primary support channel is email, with a typical response time of 24 hours. Premium customers receive priority phone support, but this is not generally available to all users. The lack of live chat and limited availability of phone support can be a drawback for users requiring immediate assistance. Overall, while Webnode offers decent support, it falls short compared to the comprehensive support system provided by Google Sites.

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Winner: Google Sites

. Google Sites excels in security with a score of 9.3, leveraging Google’s robust infrastructure. It offers SSL encryption, two-factor authentication, and automatic malware scanning. Regular security updates and compliance with international data protection standards, such as GDPR, further enhance its security profile. Additionally, Google’s infrastructure provides DDoS protection and data redundancy, ensuring both data safety and site accessibility.

Webnode, with a security score of 7.7, also prioritizes website security by offering HTTPS for all sites and a Premium Site Security add-on that includes IP Filters, Form Protection, and Malware Scanning. GDPR compliance tools, such as consent fields in forms and a cookie consent bar, are also available. However, it falls short compared to Google Sites in terms of overall security measures and infrastructure robustness.

🏆 Winner: Webnode

. Webnode, with a score of 5.3, offers a basic AI builder that helps users create custom websites by guiding them through a series of questions. This AI builder simplifies the website creation process, making it accessible for users with no technical expertise. Although Webnode’s AI capabilities are limited, they are more advanced compared to Google Sites, which does not have any AI features.

Google Sites, with a score of 0, does not offer any AI capabilities. It focuses on providing a straightforward, collaborative website-building experience without the use of AI.

🏆 Winner: Google Sites

. Managing your online team with Google Sites and Webnode involves different approaches to website editing access.

• Google Sites allows multiple users to collaborate with different roles, including Owners, who have full control, and Editors, who can modify content but not site settings. There’s no strict limit on the number of users who can edit a site, allowing flexibility in management and development. Viewers can only see the site, with no editing permissions.
• Webnode allows multiple users to manage and edit a website, but the exact number varies depending on the subscription plan you choose. Generally, the free version of Webnode provides limited user access for management and editing, while premium plans offer more flexibility, including the ability to add multiple users with different roles and permissions.

Both platforms support collaborative website building with varied levels of access and control for different users.

Webnode User Roles and Access Levels:

Additional Features

Google Sites vs Webnode: User Feedback

Users consistently praise Google Workspace, particularly Google Sites, for its seamless integration, ease of use, and collaborative features, making it a go-to solution for various professional and educational needs. The platform’s simplicity and user-friendly interface are lauded, enabling effortless website creation and sharing of information within organizations. While some users desire more customization options and additional features, overall, Google Workspace remains highly valued for its versatility and streamlined workflow facilitation.

User feedback on Webnode highlights its ease of use, rapid website creation capabilities, and the wide range of templates available, making it a popular choice for individuals and businesses seeking an intuitive web development platform. While praised for its user-friendly interface and quick setup, including domain purchase and application, some users express a desire for more flexibility and customization options, especially in themes and e-commerce features. Comparatively, it falls short on advanced functionalities such as SEO tools and widgets offered by competitors like WordPress. Customer service experiences vary, with some users facing challenges in getting support for email hosting and analytics integration. Overall, Webnode is celebrated for its ability to accommodate users with little to no coding knowledge, offering an accessible solution for creating professional websites, though it may not fully meet the needs of those requiring more complex site features or dedicated customer support.

Google Sites vs Webnode: FAQ